Windows 10 tip: Keep your Microsoft account secure and private

Check this page frequently to spot any attempts to access your account.

Click to enlarge

Signing in to Windows 10 with a Microsoft account allows you to easily sync settings and files between devices. It’s not mandatory (you can sign in using a local account or an Active Directory account on a corporate domain instead), but using a Microsoft account is convenient for anyone who regularly switches between Windows devices.

But that central connection point comes with security and privacy risks. How do you know whether an attacker in Kazakhstan or Vietnam has compromised your account? (See the screenshot at the top of this post.) And how do you manage sensitive details like payment information and your personal profile?

The easiest starting point is the Microsoft account dashboard, at https://account.microsoft.com/. After you sign in with your Microsoft account credentials (and verify your identity if necessary), you can use the links on that dashboard to access every account setting.

You can also bookmark specific account settings pages for faster access. Here are a handful worth knowing:

View and manage/clear browsing history, search history, and Cortana’s notebook (if signed in to the Microsoft account), as well as location activity and health-related data for connected devices and services.

I recommend checking in here at least once a month. It’s not unusual to see unsuccessful attempts to sign in from odd places, but if you see a successful sign-in from an unfamiliar place, it’s time to lock down your account.

Did you spot the oddity in the link? The shortcut for this page, which holds your identity settings (including multi-factor authentication devices) is not on the same account.microsoft.com domain as the other shortcuts. Instead, it’s on the older (but still valid) live.com domain.

If you’ve purchased a new PC with Windows pre-installed in the past few years, chances are it has a product key embedded in its BIOS. With a little PowerShell wizardry, you can find that well-hidden key and learn more about your current licensing status..

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The Anniversary Update to Windows 10, version 1607, has been rolling out for the past few weeks, and some early adopters are experiencing issues. Here’s Ed Bott’s guide to some specific fixes for known issues along with time-tested troubleshooting tools and techniques.